How do I check an air conditioning contractor in Florida myself?

Key facts

• DBPR lists air-conditioning Classes A, B and C (CA/RA) and mechanical (CM/RM).

  Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.

• DBPR's construction FAQ says current, active means the licence is current and the contractor may practise within its scope.

  Source: Current/active status, read 14 October 2026.

• Broward’s CC Number field is for the county card number; state licence numbers belong in the DBPR search.

  Source: Broward county card, read 14 October 2026.

• DFS says exemptions are issued to corporate officers and LLC members, not the business.

  Source: Officer/member exemptions, read 14 October 2026.

• ENERGY STAR recommends a proposal with model numbers, schedule and warranty information.

  Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Which public records can I look up for an AC contractor?

Use three public records for your AC bidder: DBPR's Class A, B or C air-conditioning record (CA/RA), or mechanical (CM/RM); a Broward contractor card or Palm Beach Certificate of Competency; and Florida DFS workers' compensation Proof of Coverage or exemption search. Each optional lookup is yours to date.

Source: DBPR lookup, read 14 October 2026.
Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Broward county card, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach Certificate of Competency, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Carrier-reported DFS coverage, read 14 October 2026.
Source: DFS person search, read 14 October 2026.

Ask the bidder for the business name and the individual contractor's licence number. DBPR's search instructions explain how to open matching records and see the individual and associated business. Keep the result and your lookup date with the proposal, rather than relying on a number printed beside an equipment brand.

Source: DBPR business identity, read 14 October 2026.

How do I read the state licence record?

Read the expiry date and the name of record alongside DBPR’s category and status; the date should be in the future and the company should match your contract. DBPR lists air-conditioning Class A, B and C (CA certified / RA registered) and mechanical (CM / RM).

Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.
Source: How to check a contractor licence, read 14 October 2026.

As of 14 October 2026, DBPR's construction FAQ explains that the status Current, Active means the licence is current and its holder may practise within its scope. Record that status separately from your equipment choices and repeat your optional lookup when you are ready to decide.

Source: Current/active status, read 14 October 2026.

DBPR explains that a certified (C) licence applies statewide, while a registered (R) licence applies only in the local jurisdictions where the contractor is registered.

Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.

For a replacement proposal, record the actual class as well as CA/RA: those two letters alone do not distinguish Class A, B and C. DBPR gives Class B a per-system ceiling of 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating. Its Class C description is limited to servicing, including specified cleaning and sanitizing work, with a historical registration or certification condition. Take a replacement proposal paired with a servicing entry back to DBPR for a scope question before treating the record as an answer.

Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.

Make the enquiry concrete: identify whether the offer replaces both units, changes ductwork, or only services existing equipment. Ask the bidder to explain which listed category it is relying on. Keep its explanation separate from your equipment worksheet: the proposed model and the public category answer different questions. A brand on a condenser does not identify the contracting business.

When the quotation carries a company name and an individual's number, open the matching DBPR result and read the associated business, as DBPR's instructions describe. If a revised offer comes from a different entity, repeat the identity comparison instead of carrying the earlier result across to the new signature line.

Source: DBPR business identity, read 14 October 2026.

Does the county also keep a record?

Use Broward's contractor card search or Palm Beach's county contractor directory for a local record. These sit alongside the DBPR entry for your AC bidder; a registered category makes the project's local jurisdiction especially relevant.

Source: Broward county card, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach Certificate of Competency, read 14 October 2026.
Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.

Broward's search has a field labelled 'CC Number' for the county card number; a DBPR state licence number belongs in the DBPR search instead.

Source: Broward county card, read 14 October 2026.
Source: DBPR lookup, read 14 October 2026.

For an RA or RM entry, make the installation address part of your county enquiry: ask where that registration applies and which record documents it. Have the contractor's name and local card number ready. For a certified category, read DBPR's statewide rule above.

Source: AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope, read 14 October 2026.

Broward requires JavaScript and session cookies for its card search; the contractor-record phone line on Broward's Building Code page is the alternative. Palm Beach's Contractor Regulations page links the county directory.

Source: Broward county card, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Broward record enquiries, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.

How can I check workers' compensation coverage?

Use the Florida DFS Proof of Coverage database for an optional, dated lookup of the employer named for your installation crew. DFS describes the database as selected carrier-reported information; keep the result beside your written scope and crew questions.

Source: Carrier-reported DFS coverage, read 14 October 2026.

Ask whether the people replacing the outdoor unit and working in the attic are employed by the same business. Write down the employer name supplied for each part of the installation before you search. If the response names another company, request its spelling instead of assuming it is the name on the proposal.

If an owner supplies an exemption, you can also use DFS's exemption search. DFS says exemptions belong to corporate officers or LLC members, not the business. Keep the named person's result separate from the employer coverage record and direct questions about either record to DFS.

Source: Officer/member exemptions, read 14 October 2026.
Source: DFS person search, read 14 October 2026.

Keep the labour questions attached to the installation sequence. Ask who disconnects the old equipment, who transports it away, who installs the replacement and who performs the promised checks afterward. If the answers identify separate businesses, request a description of their roles from the company signing your agreement.

A person who attends to inspect the system might not be the person who later installs it. Ask the bidder to identify the planned employer arrangements for the installation rather than using the name of the person who initially visited as your search term. Record a changed arrangement when it is communicated to you.

DFS says “Upon issuance of an exemption, the officer or member is not considered an employee of the business and may not recover workers' compensation benefits.”

Source: Officer/member exemptions, read 14 October 2026.

What should I ask for in writing about insurance?

Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you as certificate holder and identifying the AC business that will perform your written scope. Give the contractor your correct name and project address, and ask the insurer about anything you do not understand.

Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.

Keep that document request alongside the installation description: equipment removal, replacement units and any attic duct work. Ask the bidder to explain a different business name on the document in writing. The certificate-holder request is a way to identify the document you want; ask your insurer any coverage questions.

Palm Beach asks homeowners to request “Liability and Workers Compensation insurance”.

Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.

How do I describe the AC job before checking anyone?

Describe the indoor unit, outdoor unit, controls and ducts in one written scope, with model-label photographs and equipment locations. Keep uncomfortable-room observations separate from replacement requests, and ask the contractor what sizing or airflow assessment remains necessary.

For example, separate replacement of the cooling equipment from investigation of an uncomfortable bedroom. Note the existing model and the rooms that need attention. ENERGY STAR recommends recording the system model and having the contractor assess sizing, ducts and airflow; those are useful questions when defining the appointment.

Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Before searching, build an equipment identity sheet. Copy the information you can read safely from the existing condenser and air handler; photograph the labels without opening cabinets. Ask the bidder which existing components its offer would remove and which it would reuse. Include the location of each component, the route to the air handler and any limits on access you already know.

For an apartment request, describe whether the outdoor equipment is on a balcony, roof or ground-level pad and ask who must arrange access. For a house, identify whether the air handler is in an attic, garage or closet. These are prompts for the proposed installation, not instructions to select equipment or enter restricted areas.

Keep a symptom log separate from this identity sheet. You might describe a room that is uncomfortable at a particular time, a sound you hear during operation or the control setting in use when you notice a problem. Ask for diagnosis as its own task. Do not convert your observation into a finding that a particular part has failed.

For a split-system request, collect only information visible without opening equipment. This worksheet keeps observations distinct from the contractor's assessment and proposed remedy.

Give the completed worksheet to the contractor as observations and questions. Leave equipment sizing, airflow measurements and diagnosis to its assessment; ENERGY STAR specifically recommends considering the home and inspecting the duct system.

Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Give the contractor an opportunity to correct your equipment description. Retain the correction with the proposal you are evaluating, rather than editing your notes in a way that loses the original question.

How does InstaBids work, in one paragraph?

Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.

Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.

Contractors in your trade see the scope card, your photos and your 5-digit ZIP code.

Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.

Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.

What should I do before I sign?

Compare the proposed model numbers, duct-assessment boundary and installation schedule with your written scope before signing. Ask for equipment substitutions, removal of old units and any work by another trade to appear in the document you will accept.

Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.

ENERGY STAR describes system sizing in relation to house size, insulation and windows, and recommends duct inspection and airflow measurement. Ask how the bidder will resolve those questions, including any assessment needed after a remote quote, before you accept the equipment selection.

Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Make your unresolved list specific: whether the existing ducts stay, which thermostat is proposed, where condensate work ends and who handles a separate electrical alteration. Ask for the permit responsibility and any exclusion to be written beside the affected task. Once you have a consistent installation description, compare competing responses to it.

Next: How to check a contractor licence, Florida contractor licence guide, Florida hiring checklist.

Home jobs in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.

Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Read DBPR's air-conditioning categories beside the equipment replacement you are considering, then use the dated county and DFS sources for optional record lookups; ENERGY STAR supplies the sizing and duct-assessment questions for your written scope.

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

• DBPR lookup.
• DBPR business identity.
• ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance.
• Pilot FAQ, checked 14 October 2026.
• AC classes A/B/C and mechanical scope.
• Current/active status.
• Broward county card.
• Broward record enquiries.
• Palm Beach contractor directory.
• Carrier-reported DFS coverage.
• Officer/member exemptions.
• DFS person search.
• FTC estimate and insurance checklist.
• How InstaBids works, checked 14 October 2026.
• Palm Beach Certificate of Competency.
• How to check a contractor licence, checked 14 October 2026.

Parent: InstaBids home.